2007 Interactive Annual Report - Renault

cooPeration
and synergies
tHe alliance witH renault Has Quickened
renault's develoPment as a global business.
since its incePtion, nissan Has acHieved a
sPectacular turnaround in financial results,
wHile renault Has consolidated its oPerating
Performance. cooPeration between tHe two
Partners was reinforced in 2007.
veHicle engineering Powertrains
Renault is drawing fresh strength from
Nissan's recognized know-how in the
design and construction of four-wheel
drives. Nissan made an active contribu -
tion to the development of the cross-over
conceived and designed by Renault and now
manufactured by Renault Samsung Motors
in Korea. Unveiled as Koleos Concept at
the Paris Motor Show in September 2006,
this went on sale under the name QM5
in Korea in December 2007 and will be
tackling European markets as Koleos in the
second quarter of 2008.
This co-development based on the sharing
of tasks across companies with different
cultural roots in France, Japan and Korea
was a special challenge for the Alliance and
an exercise in cross-cultural management.
At the same time it illustrates a key strength
of the Alliance since such co-development is
crucially important in the context of market
globalization.
In India, the Alliance set up a new center
for operational technologies in Chennai.
Named Renault Nissan Technology and
Business Centre India Private Ltd (RNTBCI),
this is a joint venture in which each of the
two Alliance partners has a 50% interest.
Designed to provide varied support for both
Renault and Nissan around the world, it will
in time offer a complete range of services
covering product and process engineering,
purchasing, design, cost management and
IT development. RNTBCI is expected to
employ more than 1,500 people by 2010.
Also in India, a joint delegation from Renault
and Nissan visited the Bajaj Auto Chakan
site in Puna to review the feasibility of a
project for a very low-cost car. Consideration
of the project continues.
36 The RenaulT-nissan alliance
On display for the first time on the Renault
stand at the 2007 Frankfurt Auto Show, the
Alliance's latest diesel, the V6 dCi Concept,
will be on offer for New Laguna and future
Renault and Nissan vehicles at the top end
of the range, including the Nissan Maxima in
the United States in 2010.
The new 2,993 cc engine block is based on
the Alliance's MID diesel and shares 25% of
its components. Particularly compact, it is
designed to fit into the New Laguna's engine
compartment without infringing regulatory
Renault and Nissan work together on projects
of common interest in the strategic fields of
research and advanced engineering, thereby
optimizing allocations of resources while at
the same time covering a wider range of
possible solutions and speeding technical
progress to offer new products.
Joint projects of this kind are extremely
varied, concerning everything from fuel
requirements for the protection of pedestrians.
Generating 195 kw, the equivalent of
365bhp, it also supplies maximum engine
torque of 550 Nm at 1,750 rpm. The V6 dCi
Concept meets Euro 6 and North American
emissions standards.
The range of applications for the Alliance's
first diesel, the M1D, which already equips
Nissan models in Europe, is to be extended
to Japan, where it will equip Nissan x-Trail
as of autumn 2008.
researcH and advanced engineering
cells and hybrid engines to materials, electronics,
mechanics and active security. By
pooling technical expertise as well as their
knowledge of markets and the resources of
their international networks, the two partners
have adopted the most effective strategy to
expand the technology bases of each and
develop solutions that place the Alliance
among the world’s top three auto manufacturers
in terms of critical technologies.
tHe renault-nissan alliance — milestones
march 27, 1999: Renault and Nissan
announce a strategic alliance, with Renault
acquiring a 36.8% interest in Nissan (shares
and other voting securities) for ¥643 billion
(€5 billion/$5.4 billion)
June 1999: Organizational structures are set
up for joint projects to back profitable growth
for the two partners in the Alliance. Headed
by the Global Alliance Committee, these
structures cover all areas of operation.
October 30, 2001: Renault and Nissan
announce further reinforcement of the
Alliance, as provided in the initial agreement,
setting up Renault-Nissan bv, an equallyowned
joint subsidiary established under
Dutch law, to take charge of strategic
management.
march-may 2002: Renault exercises
equity warrants held since 1999 early to
raise its interest in Nissan from 36.8% to
Quality
The Alliance Quality Charter defines common
quality rules and procedures that come
into play in all Alliance projects. Updated in
January 2003, these rules and procedures
are an essential part of the shared commitment
that unites Renault and Nissan.
A Functional Task Team is charged with continuing
improvement in this area, drawing
the lessons from the most effective quality
practices applied by Nissan or Renault in the
US, Japan or Europe. These practices are
then adopted and, where possible, further
improved by both partners.
*FFT: Functional Task Teams.
**CTT: Cross Company Teams.
44.43%, and Nissan raises its interest in
Renault to 15%.
may 29, 2009: The Alliance Board meets
for the first time.
may 2005: Carlos Ghosn is named
President and CEO of Renault and Renault
Nissan bv, at the same time remaining
President of Nissan.
2007 Renault Annual Report